Page 15 of Eclipsed Heart

“Is she safe there?” Jack clenched his jaw. “Maybe she should stay in the bachelor house with the rest of us.”

Lucas’s and Miles’s brows rose as they glanced at Jack, who stood between them.

“I’m not happy about it either.” I hung my head, wishing that anyone but Stevie had been the informant. “But we have to make sure that she isn’t still feeding information to the queen.”

“You know her better than any of us,” Jack said, pointing at me. “Would she do that now?”

I huffed as my limbs quivered. “I wouldn’t have thought she would do what she already did, so I’m not the best person to ask.”

His head jerked back, but then he nodded. “That’s fair, I guess.”

The warmth of Dina’s magic receded from Bodey, and soon the witch lifted her head. “I’ve done all I can for him.”

Tugging at our connection, I could feel the substantial difference in my mate. He wasn’t aching anymore, and when he stood on all fours, there was only a twinge of discomfort. He linked with his parents, the advisors, Samuel, and me,I’ll be right back. I’m going to shift.He trotted off, moving damn near close to his normal speed. Some of the weight lifted from my shoulders.

Now that I wasn’t as worried about Bodey, my mind went back to the mark. “How did this happen?” I brushed my fingers over my neck.

Dina stood again and paced between the wall and the couch. “I’m as clueless as you are.”

“Do you think the magic made a mistake?” That was the only thing I could fathom.

“Maybe. Or it could be due to an illusion spell that one of their witches used to distract us.” She cleared her throat and paused, regarding me. “If you want, I can read you to see if there's magic on you. Before, all I could sense was the blood magic that suppressed your wolf. This is faint, so I’d need to search within you to even attempt to find the answers.”

My pulse quickened. “Do you have enough strength?” I didn’t want her putting her magic or health at risk. “Or should we wait until tomorrow?”

“I held enough back in case you wanted me to check.” She licked her lips. “May I?” Dina lifted her hands as she moved toward me, asking permission to touch my arm. “It’ll feel odd, and I need you to not access your magic while I search within you.”

I nodded and offered her my arm.

This time, when her magic entered me, it wasn’t comforting like it had been when she’d healed us. It was hotter and more jarring, and the magic prodded things within me. I could feel each nudge and stab as her power moved through the magic of my body.

What’s going on?Bodey linked, but I couldn’t answer. She’d told me not to access my magic. I should’ve given him a warning, but I hadn’t thought of it.

When I didn’t answer, the dresser in the bedroom upstairs slammed.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell him what’s going on.” Janet smiled.

Every person in the room watched as Dina searched for answers inside me. The prodding got stronger, and I groaned.

Just as Bodey strode into the room, Dina lowered her hands. Her face was lined with even more confusion.

“What did you find?” my mate asked, coming toward me.

I glanced up at him, smiling. I was so relieved to see him back in human form and moving without too many issues.

My eyes drank in every place where he’d been injured, and his muscles were damn distracting. His messy chestnut hair covered his forehead, and his olive skin was just a tad paler than normal, but he looked delicious.

He crouched next to me and took my hand.

“That’s the thing.” Dina’s jaw twitched. “I didn’t find anything, which can mean only one thing.” She paused, her face strained.

That wasn’t a good expression, and I wasn’t following along.

Samuel, however, must have understood. He gasped.

CHAPTERFIVE

Bodey’s handfroze inches from mine, making my pulse gallop. Whatever Samuel had realized, Bodey must’ve too.

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